Hundreds Knew of bin Laden Raid

Several hundred of people in the U.S. government knew about the raid on Osama bin Laden’s Pakistani compound before it happened, and some referred to it in code as a “trip to Atlantic City” to keep it under wraps, according to a detailed Wall Street Journal reconstruction.

In an unusual cooperative effort between the military and the Central Intelligence Agency, several hundred people planned for the attack on bin Laden, the Wall Street Journal reported Monday, but didn’t leak information about it before it took place on May 1.

The close cooperation between the Pentagon and CIA marks a shift from an era in which the troops and spies were at odds, the Journal found in its reporting, and suggests that, moving forward, troops and spies will do more to work together to combat terrorism.

In his windowless conference room at CIA headquarters in Langley, Va., director Leon Panetta had a 16-square-foot model of bin Laden’s compound that was accurate down to the trees surrounding the Abbottabad house, the report revealed. The model was made with the help of satellite spy photos.

In February, a mix of CIA and military officials met around the model to discuss intelligence that suggested a “high-value” terrorist was there. Analysts said there was “a strong probability” it was bin Laden.

Working hard to keep the mission secret, officials spoke to one another about the plan in code, with one calling it “the trip to Atlantic City.”